Marvelous Ending at Ross-Ade

A few years ago, IU beat Purdue with a field goal...we all remember that for multiple reasons.  First, of course, IU doesn't beat Purdue very often, so it's easy to remember these rare events.  But maybe more than that, IU's sports marketing department (smartly) wouldn't let the memory go away quietly as they made that win their calling card, for not one, but two seasons, in an effort to sell more tickets.

Thankfully, on Saturday, Purdue's Seniors made sure that the 2012 Old Oaken Bucket game wouldn't be decided by a field goal (or even six field goals) as they simply ground Kevin Wilson's improving Hoosiers to a fine powder.

As J talked about in his post-game wrap-up, The Seniors deserved to go out like this.  This class was rightfully hyped by media, fans and Coach Hope alike.  They're talented, they're big, they're fast and they're solid...and they should have led our Boilers to have better than a 6-6 record this season.  But for a myriad of reasons, many outside of their control, potential never became reality this season.  Purdue ranks in the 60s in many important statistical categories because, as a team, our Boilers are who they are.  Poor play calling, lousy game planning, defensive schematic shortcomings, odd substitution patterns, injuries, mental lapses and poor development in some positions have made Purdue a .500 team. In spite of all of this, losing to IU would have been an unacceptable ending for this season, regardless of the compounding disappointment that came before yesterday's game. And the class of 2012, and specifically one of their leaders, made sure that their last walk off of the Prescription Athletic Turf was a happy one.

Leading.

As Purdue ran out of the tunnel before the game, Marve was the first to fire onto the field, and he seemed to nearly skip on before sprinting toward the end zone to pray with his fellow QBs.  Marve's child-like joy to play in today's game was very obvious in person.  Whether simply breaking the huddle, celebrating after one of his four TD passes or greeting the defense after big stops, he acted like a guy who was just pleased to be soaking up every last minute of his last game on the home turf.

A ton of people didn't buy into Marve as Purdue's next QB when he decided to transfer from Miami four years ago...and honestly, they had reason to believe he wouldn't be a great fit. His previous coach benched him to end his RS Frosh season as a Hurricane and his overall swagger was something that most Purdue fans didn't think would quite fit in West Lafayette.

But in this final chapter, Marve has fit quite well. In fact, even those who didn't have a ton of faith in the cocky kid from Tampa, grew to like, and even believe in the Florida transplant. That kid became a Boilermaker through one of the most-adversity-filled careers I can remember in the last 30 years of Purdue football.

He worked through the distraction of an NCAA investigation, fought through three ACL tears and stayed positive as he was benched time and time again for not staying within the parameters of an uninventive offensive scheme...and maybe most-amazingly, stayed tight-lipped when given ample opportunities to even hint at negativity toward his coaches and teammates.

"Adversity doesn't build character, it reveals it."

Who knows what would have happened had Marve not torn his ACL the second or third times...no one can tell what would have happened had he been given the chance to start the second half v. UND...and we're only second-guessing when we say the season could have been different had the two-QB system been scrapped in favor of #9 just running the show.

What we do know is Marve handled crappy situations as well as anyone could have expected him to.  And on top of staying positive and being astoundingly-gutsy and gritty, when given the chance and the tools to do so, he proved that he's a pretty damned good quarterback...on one or two legs.

It's weird- in some ways, his nearly-four years within the Purdue family have seemed like an eternity as we waited for him to reach his potential. In other ways, it seems like it went way too quickly as his career at Purdue was so atypical, for so many of reasons.  But he went out with a bang yesterday as he played one of the statistically-best games a Purdue QB has played in the Oaken Bucket. Here's to him having one more showcase game in the gold and black.

Regardless of what happens in December, he's earned the respect of most within the Purdue family and fortified it for those who were already on board.

Maybe Charlie Weis' Jokes Are Only Understood By Other Geniuses

Last Friday, the atrocious "Mike and Mike in the Morning" duo was "roasted" at a club in Atlantic City, NJ. They have been on the air for, depressingly, eight years now and show no signs of stopping despite being seventeen shades of awful.

However, among the horrid roast stories detailed in this article from the AC Press (and, really, what have these clowns done to deserve a roast?), my favorite is one about Charlie Weis.

Apparently, Fat Charlie showed up as a roaster and, evidently, either doesn't understand what a roast is or is too damn brilliant a comedian for people to understand. He is a genuis, after all. From the story:

But there were more bombs than success stories. Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis rambled for what seemed like forever, praising the duo and missing the whole point of the night. (Host Jeffrey) Ross summed it up best: "Thank you for that great sermon."

Can't you just picture the big, fat, arrogant prick getting up there to say some nice things because actually roasting them would be a little too much like what everyone else is doing and, you know, Chuck thinks outside the box. The Dunkin Donut box, that is.

In actuality, he was probably dreading being made fun of for his impressive tenure as ND's coach.

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: Boilerdowd Speaks

1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?
Honestly, answering this question is a difficult proposition for me. Very few things positively surprised me, sadly...But, Chris Summers was not only consistent this season, he was flat-out good. So good, that I forgot we had a kicker...That's the way I think it should be.

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?
The offense. No doubt about it, I thought that this unit with its many weapons would be close-to-impossible to defend. Sadly, it wasn't. In fact, as the season progressed I waited and waited for the playbook to expand and "set up" plays from earlier in the season to create new wrinkles for opposing defenses. It never happened. And, once again, the offense couldn't compete with good defenses.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?
I'm excited to see what a healthy Jaycen Taylor can do again...Plus, he makes Sheets better. They should be a pretty good tandem next season. Man oh man would I like to see Purdue use Siller in short-yardage situations (but it won't happen).

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?
Another Joe Tiller "never-too-high, never-too-low", "managed expectations", "only gotta win by one" season. All that crap has been old for about three seasons.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?
I don't think it will change anything...things are what they are right now. This bowl is fitting for a team that underachieved. A win will not move the program forward a loss will only remind us that we're not what we used to be.

6. How and when will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?
Tiller will resign after Purdue's last game next season triumphantly holding a record that should belong to Fat Jack.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?
Many frustrated me...Sheets fumbling early in the season while jumping for extra yards, Spack's defense bending and breaking v. good teams. But I really thought Painter would progress to a greater degree this year; especially with Keller, Orton, Lymon & Bryant all as targets, I thought he'd be the best, if not one of the best QBs in the league.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?
Minnesota was pretty lousy. Heck, they couldn't even score when unabated to the end zone.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?
No. I used to think another gritty, tough-competing quarterback with a fire in his gut would make Purdue great again...Sadly, that guy wouldn't be allowed to see the field because Tiller probably wouldn't allow it. He likes system guys (ref. Orton & Painter). Stinking Brees called too many audibles!

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?
Honestly, I think they're all critical because it's a much more difficult schedule. We'll be playing CMU for the third time in a calendar year and then Oregon and Notre Dame. This isn't the cream-puff-filled pre-conference schedule that we saw in '07. Tiller's calling card losing streak may actually begin the season rather than end it in '08. That could put a ton of pressure on the Boilers who will be trying to return to Detroit at the end of next season.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?
Absolutely not...not even a little. There was one point, when UND was 0-2 and Charlie was acting somewhat humble that I said, "Hey, this guy is an OK loser." It seemed like he heard me because the very next week he got back on to his normal asshead comments and I got back to firing across the bow of the God's School and its arrogant coach.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?
No. Sadly, as long as people like Burke & Tiller are making decisions, the idea that Purdue is a red-headed step-child in the ranks of the teams in the NCAA will have a strangle-hold on the program. The more I talk to wealthy JPCers the less I think a change is on the horizon. That said, maybe when those who graduated between 1997 & 2000 are old and rich, maybe they'll change the corporate culture of Purdue's athletic department.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?
Basketball...it's a basketball school, afterall! Back in 2000, I really thought Tiller would be able to contend for a national title before he left. Sadly, he didn't...but Painter will, probably in the next 3-4 seasons.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired), would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?
I guess it'd be pretty neat to actually have talent that was as good as anybody's. I honestly can't remember a Purdue basketball or football team that wasn't forced to overachieve to win a league championship. So, for a change, let's get a good recruiter in here...but nothing in the least bit questionable (ref. Zook, Tressel, et al.).

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?
I like Beilema, Ferentz & Dantonio for different reasons...But, I think I'd like to see Beilema and Tiller switch places. Beilema builds around defense and big uglies...you win and lose games in the trenches, so I think he'd be my pick. Plus, wouldn't it be refreshing to see Purdue as the tougher, more physical team on the field?

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: J Speaks

Today it's my turn to give my witty witticisms on the Purdue football season, or as we like to call it, Train Wreck '07.

1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?

That when making love to my wife, I was able to -- oh, wait, what's that? Ohhhhh, related to Purdue football. Gotcha.

Um, well, my biggest positive surprise was the 5-0 start. Normally, we find a way to shoot ourselves in the foot early with a loss to a MAC team or simply not showing up against ND or something like that. This year's team found new ways to piss us off after they started out 5-0. I also was pleased with Painter's productivity early on -- yes, it wasn't the best competition, but he was more than just solid; he was deadly accurate against those opponents and the INTs were way down. Nice improvement. I guess. If I have to say something nice.

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?

Clearly, our collapse, as Tim said, is up there. 5-0 to start, 2-5 the rest of the way. I guess the biggest disappointment, though, would be the fact that we didn't even show up against OSU or Michigan. I'm not saying we need to be better than those programs or consistently beat them... but we need a year when, if we're 5-0, ranked and hosting OSU, that we come to play and put some points on the board. You know, make them earn it. OSU didn't play particularly terrific that night and we blew a great opportunity to earn some respect and show Ross-Ade as a semi-tough venue under the right circumstances. Instead, we just laid down. And the debacle in Ann Arbor was simply carry-over. The team seemed to know they were cooked before things got started. And Joe Tiller telling the team they aren't as talented is never good for confidence.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?

I'm optimistic that the offense will continue to improve and that Curtis Painter has one more shot at leading this team to something great. I know the chips are stacked against that happening, but hope springs eternal.

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?

Feeling disappointed again. This year was a legit shot at a 9-10 win season, and that was not a stretch goal. Next year, 8 wins would be a stretch based on the schedule, so I'm not looking forward to seeing the program struggle, especially in Painter's final season.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?

As boilerdowd noted, it's already having divisive effects. Being that it's a no-win scenario for the Boilers (beat a MAC team, big deal; lose to a MAC team, we catch more abuse), I don't see this as a positive. Is it better than getting shut out of going bowling? Well, I suppose so but not by much. As for effect on the program, I'd say it's kind of negative for all the reasons above, plus the fact that meaningless, crappy bowls keep some contingent of alumni and the athletic department happy/content and that's not good. We're not good enough to feel any level of satisfaction.

6. How and When will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?

By being bum-rushed by angry students after another disappointing season next year, held over the engineering mall fountain on campus and fired into low-Earth orbit by the water pressure.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?

Where to begin? Dorien Bryant didn't live up to the hype, although compared to loser Selwyn Lymon, he was stout. I'd say Lymon was the biggest disappointment, both on and off the field. The coaching staff hasn't impressed me in years and Brock Spack needs to be removed from his position. Nice guy, below-average coach.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?

I have to agree with Tim: Iowa's Jake Christensen. He's a terrible quarterback and Iowa was an awful team. I don't understand how they beat Illinois this year. Thing is, I also don't get how Firentz is a coach there still. He's the most overpaid, overrated coach out there. Iowa is often expected to do great things and very rarely does anything, let alone great things.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?


Nope, the program is not on the right track. Sure, I like winning more than losing and 7-8 wins a year is not anything to be out-and-out ashamed of, but things like your players beating guys up in bars, drinking and driving and publicly saying they don't want to play in the bowl game are signs that the program is off the rails and the powers-that-be aren't able to keep control. This points to Coach Tiller and the athletic department. The program isn't good enough to overlook misdeeds (nor should it be) and a 10-win season every now and then is something that is fair to expect from a mid-pack Big Ten team like Purdue.

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?

Well, we get to play Central Michigan for the third time in twelve months, so maybe they'll be looking for blood. Who knows? But critical games aren't hard to point out: @ OSU and Michigan at home will be big. If we can hang with or -- gasp! -- actually beat one of them, that would be gigantic for the program, for recruiting, etc. In addition, I think Notre Dame will still be less than stellar next year and thus we should actually beat them in their house. Again, as we've said before, it doesn't matter how poor Notre Dame is looking -- a win over them always feels critical.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?

No, never. He's an arrogant butthead who deserves to eat some humble pie. I saw him being interviewed a few weeks ago and he was asked if it's hard to face fans and students when the program is doing so poorly. His smug answer was typical Fat Charlie: "Well, I don't see many fans or students..." The implication was he works too much to see them. He underscored this and made sure we understood his point by following with, "I mean, sometimes there's a couple outside my building at 4:30 in the morning and I'll stop and say hi then, but otherwise..."

Right, fat-ass. You get to work at 4:30 in the morning. You know, I hate to be the one to point this out, but if you're really working 18-20 hour days as you'd like us (and ND's chancellor) to believe, you're doing a rot-ass job. I'm pretty sure a 3-9 record could have been attained with a lot less work. But hey, at least you were the first ND squad since '92 to end the season with two straight victories, as you had the balls to point out in your post-game interview after beating mighty Stanford. Jerk.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say yes. I don't think it will happen while I'm still young enough to enjoy it necessarily, but I do think it's possible that with a new coach and renewed vigor that this program could be shepherded in the right direction. Our lifetimes, god-willing, are going to be a long time. Will we win a title in the next 50 years? I'll say yes.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?

I agree with Tim -- basketball is much more likely. Villanova won it as an 8-seed, several other 8s have made the Final Four... hell, even a Brian Cardinal-led team came within a win over a crappy Wisconsin team of making the Final Four in 2000. As Timmy said, anything can happen in March madness. The football team being perfect for twelve weeks, while possible, is somewhat, uh, unlikely.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired) [or is launched into orbit - J], would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?

Recruiter. While I don't think Purdue is the wasteland of some locales, it's not exactly a hotbed where high-level prospects would choose to go over other nice areas. But if you're a good recruiter and know how to find the gems like Drew Brees, etc., then that usually means you're a good talked and are able to convince players that the culture can change and they can be part of the team that turned Purdue into a national contender. Look at Gary Barnett's Northwestern days or what Ron Zook is currently doing at Illinois. Solid recruiting and making the guys believe. If they're not a terrific game-coach, so be it. Make sure you have better coordinators than guys like Spack and you'll be fine.

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?

I kind of like Tim's pick of the Zooker at Illinois, but I'm a little wary of him. He's obviously and inarguably an incredible recruiter and his players would absolutely lay in front of a bus for him. However, he's a little crazy, I think. (Note: Water-skiing doesn't make you crazy, of course, but, well, you know what I mean.)

I think if I had to pick a Big Ten coach right now, I'd choose Sweatervest. He may not run the cleanest program, but he appears to be a good guy (open to interpretation) and the 'vest makes him look like an innocent little librarian or something. Meanwhile, he's recruiting well and competing for the national title every year despite the bashing of the Big Ten and the suggestions that the Big Ten teams are slow, midwestern dolts competing against speedy, talented players from the SEC, ACC, etc. That may be so, but I'll take 11-win seasons and national spotlight anytime. I doubt it would get old for a while.

Boiled Sports Season Wrap-up Round Table: Tim Speaks

We posed eachother some questions and are all going to weigh in on our opinion of Purdue's football season...Here's your first entry, Tim:



1. What was your biggest surprise of the season (positive)?
Notre Dame sucks. Yeah, yeah, yeah. With a big, big crunch and a big, big bite. (sang to the tune of Honeycomb's jingle)

2. What was your biggest disappointment of the season?
Finishing the season 7-5 after a 5-0 start. Pathetic.

3. What are you excited about for the '08 season?
Right now? Not very much to be honest.

4. What are you least looking forward to in the '08 season?
Another positive start against marshmallows and then a complete collapse once the "real" teams show up.

5. What effect, if any, will a bowl have on Purdue's football program?
A terrible bowl will not have any impact on the program. It's good to go to a bowl game, but the Dominos McDonalds Boeing Everyone Goes To A Bowl Game Bowl won't do anything for the program.

6. How and when will Joe Tiller's career end at Purdue?
Tiller will retire next year after taking over the all time wins lead.

7. Who frustrated you the most this season?
This is a close one. I'm going to vote for Joe Tiller though. The play calling was downright ridiculous at times. In a close second though are the Big Ten referees. They were as atrocious this year as the play calling.

8. What team and/or player opponent of Purdue this season was least impressive to you?
Iowa. They sucked! Specifically their quarterback Christensen. He was awful. Really really bad.

9. Despite all the grousing we do, is Purdue football on the right track (If not, what would get the program back on track)?
No. It's not on the right track. The spirit is gone. The fight is gone. If one bad thing happens in a game, the team gives up. That all starts with the coach. The coach needs to be replaced and someone with passion and fire needs to come in and take over. Thats the only hope.

10. Looking at next year's schedule, what's your early thought on critical games?
My early thoughts on critical games? Purdue will lose every one. I see them losing to Oregon, Notre Dame, Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan, and Iowa. Basically, any team that has a shot at being good, they will lose to.

11. Does it ever get old making fun of Fat Charlie the Manatee?
No. The slurping of him by the national media nearly makes it a requirement.

12. Will Purdue win a football national championship in our lifetime?
No. I think it's much more likely that they'll fade back to obscurity rather than rise to national prominence.

13. What is more likely for the Boilers and why: a football championship or a basketball championship?
A basketball championship is much more likely for Purdue. They don't need to be the best or second best team in the nation in order to get invited to the tournament, and once they're in, anything can happen.

14. After Tiller retires (or is fired), would you rather get a coach that is a better recruiter or is a better game day coach?
I'd rather get a coach that is a better recruiter. The game day coaching can always be done by the coordinators anyway.
Talent overcomes a lot of coaching problems and can make mediocre coaches look great.

15. If you had to choose another coach from the Big Ten to coach Purdue, who would you pick?
I'd take Ron Zook. If he can recruit and turn around Illinois from a doormat into a legitimately good team in a few years, I'd like to see what he could do for a mediocre Purdue team.